Maryland Transit receives ROD for Baltimore Red Line

The Federal Transit Administration issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Baltimore, Md., Red Line project, which will expand the region's transit network for the first time since the early 1990s.

The ROD is based on information presented in a Final Environmental Impact Statement that was completed in December 2012.

The Red Line will be a 14.1-mile, east-west transit line connecting the areas of Woodlawn, Edmondson Village, West Baltimore, downtown Baltimore, Harbor East, Fell's Point, Canton and the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Campus.

"This is a big day for the Red Line and the future of transit in Maryland," said Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. "Now we must move to our next challenge, which is providing the state funds necessary to keep this project moving."

The light-rail line will have 19 stations between Woodlawn, Downtown Baltimore and Johns Hopkins Bayview. Riders will be able to connect to existing Metro subway, light rail and MARC Train lines. Expected ridership by 2035 is more than 50,000 passengers per day and construction of the Red Line is estimated to create 9,800 direct construction and related jobs during the six-year construction period.

"The Record of Decision is the product of many years of work by citizens, community organizations and local and state agencies," said Ralign Wells, administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration. "Public and agency feedback helped us identify concrete steps we can take to make the Red Line a good neighbor while improving mobility. Receiving the ROD means we understand the project's impacts and have a plan to manage them."